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As NASA's Dawn spacecraft approaches orbit around the dwarf planet Ceres, researchers aren't sure what's causing the "bright spots" on its surface. The imaging orbiter snapped the above picture from 29,000 miles (46,000 km) away just last week, but until it gets closer for a more detailed picture, the folks at NASA aren't ready to decide the light sources' origin. "The brightest spot continues to be too small to resolve with our camera, but despite its size it is brighter than anything else on Ceres," said Andreas Nathues, a lead investigator at the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Germany. "This is truly unexpected and still a mystery to us."

It's tempting to think of gas planets as permanently hostile to life as we know it. A pair of University of Washington researchers beg to differ, however. They've used computer modelling to determine that these worlds can become habitable when their stars get particularly grabby. If a relatively small, solid-core gas planet orbits a class M dwarf, tidal forces can tug it into a habitable zone and not only wipe out the gas (through the dwarf's X-ray and ultraviolet radiation), but produce life-giving water from the core's ice. Provided the timing is right, the result could be downright Earth-like.

NASA's Kepler telescope has discovered a veritable bounty of alien planets, but none of them have been quite like Earth -- until now. Today, the agency announced that Kepler-186f is the first confirmed Earth-sized planet in the habitable zone of another star. In other words, it's the right size and distance from its sun to have properties similar to our planet -- namely, a rocky composition and liquid water on its surface.

For the first and perhaps the last time ever, NASA's Cassini spacecraft, whose mission is to orbit Saturn, has captured a new moon emerge from the jovian planet's rings. As you might know, the birth of a moon is an extremely rare event, and in Saturn's case, it might never happen again. You see, there's a theory that the sixth planet from the sun used to have a much larger ring system, which led to formation of numerous natural satellites. After birthing a whopping 62 moons, though, the rings are now too depleted to make more, even if they still look lush from afar. This could be our very last chance to observe how Saturn's ring particles form a natural satellite that detaches from the planet and ultimately orbits around it.

We know that it's no longer rare to discover alien worlds, but NASA just made it downright commonplace. The space agency has confirmed the existence of 715 exoplanets discovered using the Kepler space telescope, ballooning the number of verified planets to nearly 1,700. Scientists validated the huge number of celestial bodies by looking for targets in batches -- the more objects were clustered together, the more likely it was that there would be multiple exoplanet candidates. The bonanza helps illustrate the frequency of planets among the stars, and it has also uncovered four more potentially habitable worlds. Researchers might not be much closer to finding the Holy Grail of a life-bearing planet, but they'll at least know where to focus their attention.

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exoplanetkeplernasaplanetsciencespacespacetelescopetelescopeWed, 26 Feb 2014 17:06:00 -050021|20839037http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/24/not-so-massively-star-citizens-procedural-planets-diablo-iii/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/24/not-so-massively-star-citizens-procedural-planets-diablo-iii/http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/02/24/not-so-massively-star-citizens-procedural-planets-diablo-iii/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsStar Citizen reached a whopping $39 million in crowdfunding this week amidst controversy over feature creep and the delayed dogfighting module. The next stretch goal will fund an R&D team to look into the possibility of procedurally generating entire planets for players to explore, but this feature will not be coming until after release. Developers on Elite: Dangerous were surprised this week when two games they developed as part of a company game jam event led to $6.2 million in signed publishing contracts on a yet-to-be-named platform.

Blizzard revealed the final details of Diablo III's upcoming Paragon 2.0 update that will provide theoretically endless progression, and players have figured out how to power-level characters with Diablo II style runs. As the release of Path of Exile's first mini-expansion draws near, Grinding Gear Games revealed details of what will be in the expansion, including a strange new Vaal Orb currency that can significantly buff items.

Valve announced that it will be releasing a new feature-length documentary named "Free to Play" next month, which chronicles the struggles of three participants in Dota 2's first ever million-dollar tournament. SMITE's launch event has been expanded into a new GameVid Expo event featuring prominent livestreamers and YouTube celebrities, and old character Agni received a graphical overhaul. And Twitch Plays Pokemon continues to grow in popularity, reaching over 100,000 simultaneous viewers this week and adding new Democracy and Anarchy modes.

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action-mmoaction-rpgagnianarchybattlenetbird-jesusblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbrabenccp-gamesclanclan-toolsclanscloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingd3david-brabendemocracydiablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidocumentarydogfighterdotadota-2e-sporte-sportseliteesportesportseve-onlineeve-valkyrieevrexplorationf2pfantasyfeature-creepfeaturedfree-to-playfrontierfrontier-developmentsgame-jamgamevid-expogodgodsgothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gameshi-rez-studiosleague-of-legendslevellevelslolmobamultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmoculus-riftonline-multiplayerparagonparagon-2.0paragon-studiospath-of-exileplanetplanetspoepokemonpower-levelpower-levelingprocedural-generationprocedurally-generatedpvpreaper-of-soulsriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgsandboxsci-fismitestar-citizensteamthe-internationalthe-international-2012third-persontormentTotalBiscuittwitch-playstwitch-plays-pokemonvaalvaal-orbvalkyrievalvevideovirtual-realityMon, 24 Feb 2014 20:00:00 -0500319|20836027http://massively.joystiq.com/2014/01/26/eve-evolved-eve-needs-real-colonisation-now/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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MMOs have absolutely exploded in popularity over the past decade, with online gaming growing from a niche hobby to a global market worth billions of dollars each year. Once dominated by subscription games like EverQuest and World of Warcraft, recent years have seen free-to-play games take centre stage. Global MMO subscriptions have been reportedly shrinking since 2010, and EVE doesn't appear to be immune to this industry-wide trend. Though February 2013's figures showed EVE subscriptions have technically grown year-on-year, those numbers were published just after the Chinese server relaunch, and CCP hasn't released any new figures since.

Developers have done a good job of catering to current subscribers and polishing existing gameplay with the past few expansions, but the average daily login numbers are still the same as they were over four years ago. EVE will undoubtedly hook in plenty of new and returning subscribers when its deep space colonisation gameplay with player-built stargates and new hidden solar systems is implemented, but time could be running out on these features. Hefty competition is due in the next few years from upcoming sandbox games such as Star Citizen, EverQuest Next, Camelot Unchained, and Elite: Dangerous, and CCP will have to release something big soon to bring in some fresh blood.

In this week's EVE Evolved, I ask whether CCP should focus on new players and suggest plans for two relatively simple colonisation-based expansions that could get EVE a significant part of the way toward its five-year goal in just one year.

Scientists have long thought that the dwarf planet Ceres might hold some form of water, but they've only had indirect evidence at best -- until today, that is. An ESA-led team has used signal fluctiations to confirm that the asteroid belt planetoid is spewing water vapor from two points on its surface, creating both ice and a rudimentary atmosphere. It isn't clear what's producing the vapor, although researchers believe that geysers, thawing or icy volcanoes may be responsible. Whatever is behind Ceres' behavior, the discovery could improve our understanding of how water reached Earth. We'll get a much clearer picture of what's happening in early 2015, when NASA's Dawn probe swings by to map the mini-planet's water activity in greater detail.

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atmosphereceresdwarfplanetesaherschelHerschelSpaceObservatoryiceplanetplanetoidsciencespacewaterWed, 22 Jan 2014 17:13:00 -050021|20813717http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/16/not-so-massively-elites-incredible-trailer-diablo-iii-data-mi/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
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Following the release of the Star Citizen ship hangar module, one fan has taken it upon himself to create some awesome atmospheric videos of the ships in planetary environments like jungles and caves. The game continues to climb toward its ultimate funding goal and has hit the $19 million mark. And if you love sci-fi games but haven't really been paying attention to Elite: Dangerous, it's definitely time to start keeping an eye on it. An incredible new trailer showing a potential vision target for the game's art design and gameplay has absolutely blown away fans and given us a first glimpse at what the studio is aiming for.

League of Legends' World Championship got underway this weekend with its first series of 10 qualifying matches, and Riot Games is now trying a new strategy to battle antisocial behaviour. Third-person MOBA SMITE has also finally released the lightning-wielding uber-god Zeus as a playable character. On a less positive note, Guardians of Middle-Earth players on PC are now badly struggling to find other humans to play with as the average daily player count has dropped to around 50.

Red 5 Studios laid off 10% of its staff and announced that Firefall's PvP portion will be shut down soon pending a complete revamp at an unspecified point in the future. Diablo III fansite DiabloFans has been data-mining the latest game update for clues about what might be in store for the game's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion, including a ton of changes coming to existing skills. And Path of Exile is celebrating its popular Skin Transfer microtransaction with a new Well-Dressed Exile fashion competition.

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action-mmoaction-rpgbattlenetbetablizzardblizzard-entertainmentbrabencloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingconsoled3data-miningdavid-brabendiablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidiablo-iii-ladderdotae-sporte-sportseliteesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedfree-to-playfrontierfrontier-developmentsfrozen-orbgaminggearGamingGear.eugodgodsgothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesguardians-of-middle-earthjetballladderleague-of-legendsLemondogslightninglollord-of-the-ringslotrmiddle-earthmobamonolithmonolith-studiosmultiplayernewsnot-so-massivelynsmomgonline-multiplayerpath-of-exileplanetplanetsplaystation-networkpoeps3psnpvpreaper-of-soulsred-5-studiosriotriot-gamesround-uprounduprpgsandboxsci-fiSK-Telecom-T1smitestar-citizensteamchartsteam-solo-midthird-personThrowing-my-money-at-the-screen-but-nothing-is-happeningtrailertsmtsm-snapdragonvideowarner-brosworld-championshipsxboxxbox-360xbox-livexbox360zeuszombie-studiosMon, 16 Sep 2013 20:00:00 -0400319|20721107http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/09/not-so-massively-elites-space-stations-lol-world-championship/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/09/not-so-massively-elites-space-stations-lol-world-championship/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/09/09/not-so-massively-elites-space-stations-lol-world-championship/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsStar Citizen came one step closer to hitting its total required funding this week as it passed the $18 million mark, unlocking an exclusive star system for all crowdfunding backers. Developers took the opportunity to announce the contents of the $20 million stretch goal and plans for further stretch goals after hitting its total funding goal. Elite: Dangerous showed off new space station concept art and a great-looking in-engine render of the Federal Battle Cruiser in its latest newsletter, then delved into details of its modular space station system.

The final teams have been selected for the League of Legends 2013 World Championship, which is set to begin next week on Sunday, the 15th September, and will continue for three weeks. The overall tournament winner will receive the top prize of $1,000,000 US, with a further $1,000,000 spread among the other teams based on how well they do in the tournament. Console-born MOBA Guardians of Middle-Earth enraged fans this week by bundling Raptr with the game download and giving away copies of DLC that some players had paid $70 for.

It was revealed this week that parts of Diablo III's upcoming Reaper of Souls expansion will be released in a free patch for all current players and that the expansion will feature the game's first fully randomised tileset. Further details of the Mystic artisan and her enchanting abilities have also been revealed. And Path of Exile fixed a series of abusable bugs in its skill cooldown system, and players finally discovered what the mysterious new Empower support gem does.

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2013action-mmoaction-rpgbattlenetblizzardblizzard-entertainmentbrabencash-prizeCloud-9cloud-imperiumcompetitive-gamingconsoled3david-brabendiablodiablo-2diablo-3diablo-iidiablo-iiidotae-sporte-sportseliteesportesportsf2pfantasyfeaturedFnaticfpsfree-to-playfrontierfrontier-developmentsGamania-BearsGambit-BenQgamescomGamingGearGamingGear.eugothic-fantasygrinding-geargrinding-gear-gamesguardians-of-middle-earthInternational WildcardInternationalWildcardlagleague-of-legendsLemondogslollootlord-of-the-ringslotrmiddle-earthmillion-dollarsmobamonolithmonolith-studiosmultiplayerMVP-OzoneNajin-Black-Swordnewsnot-so-massivelynsmOMGonline-multiplayerpath-of-exileplanetplanetsplaystation-networkpoeps3psnpvprandomrandomisedraptrraptr-rewardsreaper-of-soulsriotriot-gamesround-uproundupRoyal-Club-Huang-Zurpgsandboxsci-fiSK-Telecom-T1space-stationspace-stationsstar-citizenstationssteamTeam-MineskiTeam-SoloMidtournamentvideoVulcun-Techbargainswarner-broswestmarchworld-championshipsxboxxbox-360xbox-livexbox360zombie-studiosMon, 09 Sep 2013 20:00:00 -0400319|20714786http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/05/not-so-massively-star-citizens-hangar-module-elites-black-ma/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/05/not-so-massively-star-citizens-hangar-module-elites-black-ma/http://massively.joystiq.com/2013/08/05/not-so-massively-star-citizens-hangar-module-elites-black-ma/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsStar Citizen fired a shot across the bow of game publishers this week as it hit $15 million US in crowdfunding. The game's hangar module has now entered code lockdown and will soon be available to owners of every ship type except the cutlass. Elite: Dangerous teased players with details of trading and black markets in a massive new development newsletter, and revealed two new luxury passenger liner style ships.

Dota 2 kicked off its third annual world championship tournament, The International, with a record-breaking prize pool of $2.8 million and growing! League of Legends' smaller but still incredibly popular $100,000 EU LCS Summer Split tournament also got underway this week ahead of the colossal upcoming patch 3.10. The patch will include nerfs to champions Elise and Twisted Fate, and the removal of the popular Runic Bulwark item.

Diablo III's gold economy showed further signs of runaway inflation as developers increased the size of gold stacks on the real money auction house from 10 million for $0.25 to 50 million for the same price. Blizzard also asked players for feedback on the idea of adding a Diablo II style ladder system, and announced that it has big news about the game to be revealed in Gamescom later this month. And Path of Exile showed off its new Reave skill for Shadow characters ahead of upcoming patch 0.11.4.

While exoplanets are seemingly a dime a dozen, their looks have been mysteries; they often exist only as measurements. Scientists using the Hubble Space Telescope have partly solved that riddle by pinpointing the visible color of an extrasolar world for the first time. By measuring reflected light, they can tell that HD 189733b (conceptualized above) is a cobalt blue, much like Earth's oceans. Not that we can claim much kinship, though. The planet is a gas giant 63 light-years away -- its blue tint comes from an atmosphere likely full of deadly silicate. As disappointing as that may be, the discovery should at least help us understand planet types that don't exist in the Solar System.

Astronomers have a good day when they detect one planet inside a star system's habitable zone. A mostly European team of researchers must be giddy, then, as it just found three of those ideally located planets around Gliese 667C. The group has combined existing observations from the ESO's Very Large Telescope with new HARPS telescope data to spot the trio of super-Earths, all of which could theoretically support liquid water. As long as the discovery holds up, it may have a big impact on exoplanetary research: it shows both that three super-Earths can exist in one system and that more than one survivable planet can orbit a low-mass star. We can only do so much with the findings when Gliese 667C is 22 light-years away, but it's good to learn that space could be more human-friendly than we once thought.

The Thirty Meter Telescope has been under development for more than a decade, but the sheer amount of land needed on Hawaii's Mauna Kea for its namesake main mirror has proved problematic: locals have formally challenged the multi-university effort over concerns that it might damage both the environment and natives' heritage. Regardless of which stance you take on the issue, the project is going forward now that the state's Board of Land and Natural Resources has granted an official land permit. The move clears an optical and near-infrared telescope with nine times the coverage area of its peers, and three times the sharpness. That's enough to observe light from 13 billion years ago as well as put a heavy focus on tracking extrasolar planets, including planets in the making. Any impact on science or Mauna Kea will have to wait when construction doesn't even start until April 2014, although we're hoping that environmental care requirements attached to the permit will let us appreciate both the early universe and modern-day Earth in equal measure.

NASA's Kepler telescope is permanently on the lookout for celestial objects of interest, and its latest discovery is a small one. A small planet, to be exact -- in fact, the smallest its encountered during its search. Kepler-37b is a tad larger than our heavenly dance partner, the Moon, and whizzes round a star much like our Sun, with two larger planets in its system for company. NASA's issuing back pats all round, as finding Kepler-37b has highlighted "the precision of the Kepler instrument" (although admittedly, the star's behavior was favorable), and suggests there are many more humble worlds of similar size awaiting our detection. It's unlikely any aliens call Kepler-37b home: it's thought to be rocky, with no atmosphere, and hugs its sun in a 13-day orbit cycle, meaning surface temperature is terribly high. Still, an achievement for Kepler, no doubt, but what we really want it to find is a planet home to beings who can explain the plot-line of Prometheus. We're still a little confused.

The Cassini space probe has collected quite a few memories of Saturn in its eight years, swinging by the planet's moons and even listening to lighting storms. Even so, we're being treated to an uncommon sight today: the dark side of Saturn. A newly processed set of 60 images, originally taken in October, shows what the gas giant is like from near the center of its shadow. The slightly trippy color scheme stems from a mix of visible, near-infrared and violet light in the collage. Sitting in the darkness allows for more than just pretty pictures, as well -- it reveals details about Saturn's atmosphere and rings that would otherwise be obscured by sunlight. Just be sure to etch this mosaic in your memory. The last time Cassini had an opportunity for this kind of snapshot was in 2006, which rules out any quick retakes.

Astronomers have long theorized that there are many planets that have drifted away from their home stars, whether it's a too-loose gravitational pull during the planet's formation or a stellar tug-of-war. We've never had a reasonable chance of locating such a wanderer until today, however. The University of Montreal believes it has spotted CFBDSIR2149, an awkwardly-named gas giant four to seven times larger than Jupiter, floating by itself in the AB Doradus Moving Group of young stars. Scientists made the discovery first by pinpointing their target through infrared images from the Canada-France-Hawaii Telescope, and later using the Very Large Telescope to deduce that the object was both too small to be a star as well as hot and young enough (752F and under 120 million years old) to fit the behavior of a planet orphaned early into its existence. With CFBDSIR2149's nature largely locked down, the challenge now is learning just how common such lonely examples can be; when it's much easier to focus on the stars while hunting for planets, finding any more strays could prove to be a daunting task.

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astronomyastrophysicsCanada-france-hawaiiTelescopecfbdsir2149infraredminipostplanetscienceuniversityofmontrealVeryLargeTelescopevideoWed, 14 Nov 2012 20:14:00 -050021|20379969http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/06/david-braben-is-kickstarting-a-new-multiplayer-elite-sequel/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/06/david-braben-is-kickstarting-a-new-multiplayer-elite-sequel/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/06/david-braben-is-kickstarting-a-new-multiplayer-elite-sequel/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsElite and its sequel Frontier: Elite II were arguably two of the most influential early space games ever made. They dropped the player into an immense sci-fi sandbox with just a tiny ship and a handful of credits. You could work your way up to larger and larger hauling ships, fight off pirates intent on taking your loot, travel the stars in search of lucrative deals or just wormhole into deep space. If that sounds familiar, it's because Elite was part of the inspiration for sci-fi MMO EVE Online.

Space in Frontier was especially deep, with a full-scale galaxy containing 100 billion stars and several empires with their own legal systems and trading outposts. Players could choose to raid other ships or play it straight, mining moons, scooping fuel from gas giants, and landing on planets to survey them for materials. The magic that made this colossal universe possible was procedural generation and some incredibly good programming by developer David Braben.

Today David took to Kickstarter to launch possibly the most anticipated sequel in the history of sci-fi sandbox games. Elite: Dangerous promises a Frontier-style sandbox with modern 3D graphics, a ton more content, and a seamless peer-to-peer multiplayer experience with no lobbies. Whether this will qualify as an MMO or not remains to be seen, but the project promises to blur the line between what is and isn't massively multiplayer.

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brabenccpccp-gamesdaviddavid-brabeneliteelite-dangerouseveeve-onlinefrontiergalaxiesgalaxykickstarterkickstarter-projectskickstarter-ukplanetplanetsprocedural-generationprocedurally-generatedsandboxsci-fisequelstarstarsukunited-kingdomTue, 06 Nov 2012 17:00:00 -0500319|20372449http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/eve-evolved-merging-eve-with-dust-514/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/eve-evolved-merging-eve-with-dust-514/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/11/04/eve-evolved-merging-eve-with-dust-514/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#comments
When console MMOFPS DUST 514 was first announced, players were cautious of the game's ambitious goals. Developers promised that DUST battles would decide the ownership of planets inside PC MMO EVE Online, and that this would tie into system sovereignty and ultimately ownership of entire regions of space. We expected the two games to have separate communities and economies that would interact only when EVE players hired DUST mercenaries to take over sectors of particular planets, but we couldn't have been more wrong.

Two years later, CCP blew our expectations out of the water with details of how DUST and EVE will be practically joined at the hip. We learned that the two games would share the exact same corporations and that ISK would be transferable between games. We also got a glimpse of the incredible plans for realtime integration, with EVE ships able to deliver air strikes to planets and DUST players able to shoot down ships in orbit with ground cannon. But have those ambitious goals stayed in focus during development, and what can we expect from DUST when it launches early next year?

In this week's EVE Evolved opinion piece, I look through the public information on DUST 514's launch integration with EVE Online and speculate on how the link may evolve after release.

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air-strikealliance-warfarebattlefieldbattlefield-2ccpccp-gamescommanderconsoleconsole-mmodustdust-514dust-514-betadust-514-videodust-betadust-bunnieseveeve-dust-integrationeve-dust-interactioneve-evolvedeve-onlinefeaturedfirst-person-shooterfpsincarnaintegrationmercmercenarymercenary-quartersmmofpsplanetplanetsplaystationplaystation-3ps3realtimesandboxsci-fishootersolar-systemsterritorial-controlterritorial-warfaretrailervideowalking-in-stationswar-bargeSun, 04 Nov 2012 18:00:00 -0500319|20369689http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/the-daily-grind-whats-your-most-hated-mmo-zone/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/the-daily-grind-whats-your-most-hated-mmo-zone/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/10/19/the-daily-grind-whats-your-most-hated-mmo-zone/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsStar Wars Galaxies may have been my favorite MMO, but its pre-NGE Rage of Wookiees expansion introduced what I consider the worst MMO zone of all time: Kashyyyk. Unlike the wide-open planets that populated the SWG galaxy at launch, the tiny playable areas of Kashyyyk were a maze of tall zone walls and tight corridors, with a multi-level, below-ground, explorable themepark-style area and an inadequate map to ensure that you were totally getting lost on this ride.

It was also a no-build planet, meaning no homes or storyteller decorations (not that there would have been anywhere to put them anyway), so the whole location felt completely isolated from the rest of the game. And while the NGE version of the zone made it one of the few spots for quest-based, mid-tier leveling in the game, it was too difficult and scattershot for actual middlebies. Oh, and did I mention that vehicles and instant-transport ships mysteriously didn't work beneath the top jungle layer? Hope you enjoy running all the way back out again!

All right, picking on sunsetted games is just mean, especially when I'd take SWG back in a heartbeat, flaws and all. So what about you -- what's your most-hated MMO zone?

Every morning, the Massively bloggers probe the minds of their readers with deep, thought-provoking questions about that most serious of topics: massively online gaming. We crave your opinions, so grab your caffeinated beverage of choice and chime in on today's Daily Grind!

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bad-designbad-zonebrianna-royce-tdgclassic-mmodaily-grindgalaxieskachirhokashyyykopinionplanetrage-of-the-wookieessandboxsci-fisoesony-online-entertainmentstar-warsstar-wars-galaxiesswgswgotdgthe-daily-grindwookieezoneFri, 19 Oct 2012 08:00:00 -0400319|20350799http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/24/clone-wars-adventures-adds-embattled-carlac-to-planetary-roster/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Massively&ncid=rss_semi
http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/24/clone-wars-adventures-adds-embattled-carlac-to-planetary-roster/http://massively.joystiq.com/2012/08/24/clone-wars-adventures-adds-embattled-carlac-to-planetary-roster/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Massively#commentsSony Online Entertainment released a new set of hyperspace coordinates to its Clone Wars Adventures players, but be warned: If you take them, you'll be in for quite a scuffle. Today the game has expanded to include a new planet, Carlac. This isn't a peaceful world full of timeshare opportunities but rather a dangerous warzone with mercenaries and some dude named Pre Vizsla.

Or that could be a car. The 2012 Pre Vizsla: It'll make the Kessel run on 30 miles to the gallon.

Carlac has an impressive array of attractions for players, including four instanced missions, eight collections, two world bosses, and hundreds of enemies. SOE says that it's about the same size as CWA's Umbara.

It's taken more than six years of development, but a new imaging system for the Palomar Observatory's 200-inch Hale Telescope finally started capturing images last month, and promises to aid significantly in the search for planets outside our solar system (otherwise known as exoplanets). With the suitably mysterious name of "Project 1640," the new instrument is the first of its kind that's able to directly spot planets orbiting distant suns -- as opposed to existing systems that use indirect detection methods to determine the orbit of exoplanets. To do that, Project 1640 effectively blots out the light from stars, which allows astronomers to more clearly observe what might be around them, including objects up to 10 million times fainter than the star itself (the image on the right above is a nearby star captured with the imaging system in place, compared to the same star captured without the new system on the left). Those curious can find more specifics on just how that's accomplished in the official announcement linked below.

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astronomyexoplanetexoplanetsPalomar ObservatoryPalomarObservatoryplanetplanetsproject 1640Project1640spacetelescopeWed, 11 Jul 2012 20:58:00 -040021|20276348http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/13/able-planet-reveals-bt500-bluetooth-headset-nc1200-noise-cancel/?utm_medium=feed&utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_campaign=Engadget&ncid=rss_semi
http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/13/able-planet-reveals-bt500-bluetooth-headset-nc1200-noise-cancel/http://www.engadget.com/2012/01/13/able-planet-reveals-bt500-bluetooth-headset-nc1200-noise-cancel/?utm_source=Feed_Classic&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Engadget#commentsLooking for your next set of utilitarian headphones with a touch of aural-spice? While we were roaming the halls of CES, Able Planet (known for its hearing-aid-based Linx sound-clarifying technology) has given us a behind the scenes look some hand-built, pre-production models set to release later this year. Join us past the break for our overview and initial impressions. (Pro Tip: you'll want to read-on if wireless or noise-cancelling headphones pique your interest.)

I like making predictions. When it comes to Star Wars: The Old Republic, I've been spot on about several things, but I've missed the boat on some too. "Careful you must be when sensing the future, Anakin. The fear of loss is a path to the dark side," Yoda warned the young Jedi Knight in Revenge of the Sith. It's a good thing I don't have anything to lose by guessing what I think will happen in the future for this game.

In 2011, we saw TORlaunch with astronomical numbers, and all you have to do is look at our front page to realize how much people have been talking about this game. Hopefully, the future of the game is just as bright. Thankfully, developers at BioWare have been very talkative about what's coming in the future.

Let's combine what players have said with the plans developers have spoken about to predict the future of the game. After the break, I'll mix the news with my Force powers to see in the the future... the future... the future... echo... echo...

Way back in September, NASA'sJet Propulsion Laboratory sent a duo of Lockheed Martin-produced spacecraft toward one of its favorite test subjects, the Moon, as a part of its GRAIL mission -- Gravity Recovery And Interior Laboratory. Now, nearly four months later, the administration has announced that the GRAIL-A and -B twin crafts have planted themselves within our Moon's orbit. According to NASA, they're currently in "a near-polar, elliptical orbit with an orbital period of approximately 11.5 hours," and it plans to execute more "burn maneuvers" in the coming weeks to shorten that time frame to less than two. By March, the research crafts will be positioned in a "near-polar, near-circular orbit" 34 miles above its surface, at which point they'll begin surveying its gravitational pull, by using radio signals to determine the distance between both units.

With this information, NASA hopes to better understand how gravity works, both above and below the Moon's surface, by detailing the findings in a high-resolution map. NASA also says that scientists can utilize it to get further insight into how our planets formed. Notably, both spacecraft feature a MoonKAM (Moon Knowledge Acquired by Middle school students), that will allow students request pictures of specific areas the lunar surface for later study. Best of all, using NASA's "Eyes on the Solar System" web app, you'll be able to follow the paths of both spaceships in detail. You'll find full details about the GRAIL mission at the source links below.